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Letters Nov. 20: Whether Victoria councillors should get a 50% pay raise

Governing Victoria is not a part-time job Re: “Victoria councillors seek taxpayers’ support for 50% pay hike”, Nov. 15. I challenge every voice against the proposed remuneration for a City of Victoria councillor to step up and do the job themselves.
photo Victoria City Hall
Victoria City Hall on Pandora Avenue.

Governing Victoria is not a part-time job

Re: “Victoria councillors seek taxpayers’ support for 50% pay hike”, Nov. 15.

I challenge every voice against the proposed remuneration for a City of Victoria councillor to step up and do the job themselves. As an active, engaged citizen on multiple issues, I know how much work is involved in this role and $70,100 doesn’t begin to cover the hours of work involved.

Start with just the council-meeting workload and then ask yourself how much your time spent would cost. Citizens are still getting a significant free ride, given that workloads reach upwards of 60 hours per week — day in and day out.

Also, no amount of money would ever compensate Victoria councillors for the disrespect, abuse and aggression they endure. Suggesting that governing Victoria — a provincial capital city, a top tourist destination, Canada’s retirement mecca, the most active development location on Vancouver Island and a burgeoning economy with Canada’s strongest job market — is a part-time job is patently false.

Joanne Thibault
Victoria

Councillors need to work smarter

I would like to register my strong opposition to this proposed increase in compensation for Victoria city councillors. If this role is taking 40 to 60 hours per week, then there are problems that increased compensation will not fix.

Processes in council and city hall can be streamlined or reduced. Good time-management practices such as coming to meetings prepared and ready to make decisions will help decrease inefficiencies.

Once decisions are made, it shouldn’t be necessary to dredge them up again.

For example, just how many times is it necessary to revisit the issue of horse-drawn carriages?

Is it necessary for councillors to attend every public event? Are five-hour meetings really necessary? Does public input need to be revisited ad nauseam? Can video-conferencing replace some travel to meetings?

Rather than inserting the city into issues that belong to other levels of government, would it help to focus on the core mandate of municipalities?

Instead of bloating the councillor compensation package, I would suggest working smarter for fewer hours.

Barbara Wiggins
Victoria

Salary appropriate for full-time focus

With some experience in assessing various corporate positions for scope of responsibility and appropriate compensation, it frightens me to think our city is being directed by the majority vote of part-time well-meaning amateurs. The expectations and visions we have set for Victoria are world class.

The size and complexity of the issues and the related financial commitments warrant full-time focus. We would be fortunate to retain our current elected councillors at the proposed level of compensation.

Peter Foran
Songhees

Make council duty like jury duty

First, we must say absolutely no to a 50% wage increase for Victoria council. This increase will only encourage career politicians and their “visions.”

Then we tell them to reduce their salaries down to the Canadian average. Then we tell them to cut their hours of work and let the experts and the public make the decisions.

Councillors have no qualifications for their positions, just money and desire.

Next, we allow only one term per person on council. Eventually, we make council much like jury duty, where people with the correct qualifications are randomly selected for a one-time, short-term, non-paid stint.

Let the experts and the public decide our fate.

Bart Reed
Oak Bay

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